Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares lashed out at Attorney General Merrick Garland Thursday for not doing sufficient to guard Supreme Court justices because the excessive courtroom prepares to challenge a few of its most controversial choices, saying Virginia state police are deploying a heavy presence of “visible and not visible” officers at justices’ properties to make sure their security.
“There’s federal law right now to protect the justices and that’s one of our biggest problems in government, is a lack of will,” Mr. Miyares, a Republican, mentioned in an interview with reporters and editors at The Washington Times. “There is no will to enforce the law.”
Referring to the Virginia residences of conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Amy Coney Barrett, Mr. Miyares mentioned, “I can assure you this — without revealing too much — is that there is a heavy, heavy state police presence at every one of these, both visible and not visible, and that’s all I’ll say.”
In the hour-long interview, Mr. Miyares additionally challenged liberal billionaire George Soros to satisfy face-to-face with a number of the crime victims whom he mentioned have been harmed by the rich activist’s marketing campaign to weaken prison prosecutions across the nation.
“He’s probably never gone into an inner-city church and met with the victims of crime,” he mentioned of Mr. Soros. “I would challenge George Soros to sit in the same room I did, with dozens and dozens of victims of violent crime. They’ve been the victims of these criminal-first, victim-last prosecutors who have seen their lives turned upside down. They’ve completely been robbed of their dignity because they think nobody cares. I would do a meeting like that in a second. In fact, I challenge [Mr. Soros] publicly. Why don’t you sit down and have a meeting with me, hear their testimony?”
The state lawyer normal, elected in 2021, predicted that parental rights will once more be a strong marketing campaign challenge for Republicans in Virginia’s legislative elections this fall. He criticized Democrats for failing to approve a proposal by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin that may have required kids to get permission from mother and father to arrange social media accounts and use web sites that acquire consumer knowledge.
“A host of Democrats in the General Assembly voted against that initiative,” Mr. Miyares mentioned. “They’re up in the fall. They will be answerable in the fall — Why don’t you think parents matter? Why do you think it’s okay that a 10-year-old can just go on TikTok and suddenly see a variety of self-harm videos, or videos that glorify suicide and illegal drug use? I think they’re going to be accountable. The voters aren’t stupid, and I’m sure there will be a lot of people that are informing the voters on some of their votes.”
The challenge of defending Supreme Court justices was thrust into the highlight final 12 months when a would-be murderer with a gun and a knife traveled to the Maryland house of Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh. Before and after the excessive courtroom’s ruling overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade resolution that legalized abortion, liberal activists have known as for protests at justices’ properties.
Mr. Garland mentioned in March he was not conscious of tips given to the U.S. Marshals Service to “avoid” arresting protesters exterior the properties of justices. Mr. Miyares mentioned that though there’s a federal regulation aimed toward prosecuting anybody who makes an attempt to intimidate a decide, the Justice Department has been trying the opposite means.
“He’s claiming these marshals had independent authority [to make arrests] when the reality is, it seems like everything we’ve seen so far, is they were not directed to do so,” Mr. Miyares mentioned. “So we’ve asked for that. We’ll continue to ask for it.”
He mentioned it is going to be a difficulty for Republicans in the event that they win management of the U.S. Senate in 2024.
“It’s outrageous that these justices were going into hiding and fearing for their lives and then having individuals that were clearly, clearly trying to intimidate them,” he mentioned. “These were actions done prior to the official [abortion] ruling. So it was clear they were trying and violating federal law, attempting to have them change their opinion. When that happens. people lose faith in government because then they start viewing the Justice Department, which should be above board, as somehow a cynical tool to be manipulated.”
A gaggle of 10 Republican senators this week launched a invoice that may improve the utmost jail time period from one 12 months to 5 years for violating the federal regulation often known as Section 1507 which prohibits makes an attempt at influencing the decision-making strategy of a decide.
“As we saw last summer, the woke liberal mob will go to great lengths to target those they disagree with – even illegally intimidating Supreme Court justices at their private residences,” mentioned Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Republican. “It’s extremely concerning that none of these protesters have been arrested for breaking the law, and the DOJ has not issued any guidance on enforcing this statute.”
Mr. Garland instructed lawmakers in March that he beforehand gave federal marshals permission to make arrests.
“I’m the first attorney general who has ever ordered marshals to protect the residences of the justices and protect them 24/7,” Mr. Garland mentioned. “That’s their principal responsibility, but that doesn’t mean that they are in any way precluded from bringing other kinds of arrests. We are trying to protect the lives of justices. That is our principal priority. Decisions have to be made on the ground about what is the best way to protect those lives.”
Mr. Miyares mentioned he’s targeted on safety — not only for the justices, but additionally for Virginians — and particularly their kids. His workplace launched an investigation into Loudoun County Public Schools and its dealing with of sexual assaults that occurred when a organic boy offered as a feminine to make use of the ladies’s services and violently assaulted two college students — which went unreported till mother and father spoke up.
He subpoenaed the inner investigation completed by LCPS to uncover precisely what officers knew and once they knew it.
“I can’t comment too much because of the indictments because we will be prosecuting those cases later this summer,” he mentioned. “If there is anything that I think … that at least for me personally, the most astonishing was when the first sexual assault took place … a teacher walked in during the assault and did nothing, and they testified they did nothing because it is not an uncommon occurrence to see two pairs of legs in a bathroom stall.”
Beyond the sexual assaults, he’s additionally been investigating Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax County for its use of race as an element for admissions, and what he thought of to be a “war on merit” when scholar awards weren’t notified for worry of offending different college students.
Mr. Miyares mentioned he has a constructive outlook for Republicans in Virginia’s elections this fall, saying the Youngkin administration simply must tout its accomplishments on defending kids, college students and taxpayers.
“You can go through the list of public safety, tax relief and parental rights,” he mentioned. “And you can draw a very, very vivid contrast between who’s going to keep you safe, who’s going to make the cost of living go down, who’s going to believe in accountability and government, and who has voted against that every step of the way? I think that’s going to be the way things are going to be framed this fall.”
The election might be held Nov. 7 and all state Senate and House seats are up for grabs.
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